Chipotle Goes On The Attack With New Video 'A Love Story'

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. CMG has launched a new web video that takes aim at rival fast-food chains.

The burrito chain's latest video, titled "A Love Story," is an animated short that follows two young entrepreneurs named Ivan and Evie. The story progresses through "the escalating rivalry that leads them to build competing fast food empires," according to the press release.

"We are changing the way people think about and eat fast food," said Mark Shambura, director of brand marketing at Chipotle. "That starts with using excellent ingredients, and preparing those ingredients using classic cooking techniques."

"‘A Love Story' illustrates how competition propelled these two once-simple concepts to become something neither of their founders envisioned — reliant on limited time offers, vast menus and heavily processed food," Shambura added.

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The short film was released as part of Chipotle's strategy to focus on quality of its food and win back customer trust as a string of foodborne illness outbreaks emerged last fall tarnished its reputation, resulting in falling sales and stock price.

"A Love Story" continues Chipotle's tradition of animated shorts and was made in conjunction with Passion Pictures.

Continuing The Narrative

Chipotle's first short "Back to the Start," released in 2011, focused on the ill effects of the industrial farming. In 2013, Chipotle criticized processed food with the release of "The Scarecrow," which was followed by a four-episode satire series "Farmed and Dangerous" in 2014.

"Chipotle is very different than traditional fast food restaurants, and our marketing reflects those differences," said Shambura. "By telling elements of Chipotle's story through films that are primarily meant to entertain viewers, we have been able to prompt a number of important conversations about food and issues in food. While we hope consumers find ‘A Love Story' as entertaining as we do, we also hope it encourages them to think about how food is made."

"A Love Story" can be viewed online at Chipotle.com/alovestory.

At time of writing, shares of Chipotle were up 0.82 percent at $399.45.